10 Reasons Your Hair Is Thinning

Watching your hair go down the drain -- literally? Find out what's normal, what's not, and what you can do about it

As a woman, you've probably debated the following at some point in your life: Is all that hair clogging my shower drain a sign that I need a cleaning lady or a sign that I'm going bald?

We don't want to alarm you, but thinning hair doesn't happen only to men. A recent study by the International Society of Hair Restoration reveals that nearly 30 million women in the US are losing their hair.
Before you stress (which could only make matters worse) keep in mind that some hair loss is normal. According to hair restoration specialist Dr. James Marotta, the average woman loses between 50 and 100 strands of hair per day, and even up to 150 in some cases. To quickly find out if that clog is something more than a reminder to clean the tub, Marotta recommends this trick: "Take about 60 hairs between your fingers (just a pinch, about half a centimeter wide) and pull, running your fingers through your hair. Usually between five and eight hairs will come out -- this is normal. An excess of 15 hairs, however, is not as common, and means you're losing more hair than you should be," he explains.

If you're staring down at a handful of strands, don't panic yet. There's plenty you can do to stop the shedding.